Mi vida en Granada: March 2014

Friday, March 14, 2014

The one where I go to Barcelona and Córdoba!

Well, I have officially been in Spain for over two months, and have less than two months left! Time is seriously going by so fast, and I know the rest of the semester will go by even faster because I have so much planned! The boy comes in one week, and I could not be more excited. We've already been apart for a month since I came home for Valentine's day, but I am sure this week before he arrives will be the slowest week of my life. Clayton will be here from March 22-28 and then on the 28th I leave for Dublin to be reunited with my best friends, Alex, Amy and Erica (I'm so glad Alex is spending spring break 2014 in Europe)! Then a week after that on April 3 my parents venture to Spain for 10 days! I'm so excited to be able to show them and Clayton around so they can see what my life is like here (: Mackenzie and I are still trying to plan an Italian excursion during Semana Santa, and then the program goes to Lagos, Portugal April 25-27th. Needless to say, the remaining portion of the time will be packed with amazing experiences!

Speaking of amazing experiences, I have spent the last two weekends in Spain and traveling to Barcelona and Córdoba. Barcelona honestly reminded me of Chicago or another big American city. The food and shopping there was awesome and most people spoke English. I know I would love to study abroad there but my Spanish would not improve nearly as much as it has in Granada. I also think living in Granada really immerses you into the Spanish culture while living in Barcelona would be similar to living in any other city in the US. On Friday, we walked by La Sagrada Familia and I wish the line wasn't so terribly long and entrance was free so we could have went inside. I was willing to wait and pay but was the only one, so we continued on our way to Park Güell. I remember learning about these famous sites in Spanish class in high school and it was so surreal to actually be seeing them in person. The architecture in the park by Gaudí is unlike anything I've ever seen and some things look like real life gingerbread houses. We were also able to walk in the same spot where the finale of a season of America's Next Top Model took place, we were able to recognize it!

Like I said before, the food in Barca was amazing and Friday night we ate at an awesome Italian place for dinner. On Saturday, we went to a brunch place called Travel & Cake and had the best brunch I've probably ever eaten. I wish I could have tried everything on the menu. The weather was really nice that day and we went to the beach for a while and walked around that area and went out at night to a club on the beach. On Sunday, we had to leave for the airport around 2 so decided to just have a relaxing morning and go back to the same place for brunch again because it was so good. I'm disappointed that I was not able to see nearly all that I wanted to in Barcelona and I really hope I have time to return back there, I feel like I missed so much!

Today, 03/14 a lot of the program took a trip to Córdoba which is a city about 2 hours west of Granada. It was nice to be able to see another part of the south of Spain but not have to travel too far! Sometimes I feel like I live on planes and buses. We saw the Mezquita Caterdal of Córdoba which is one of the most famous religious monuments in Europe. It was a lot bigger than I expected and absolutely gorgeous on the inside! We also walked through some ancient Arab baths which they have in Granada. I've heard only wonderful things about the baths and I want to try them out one day soon! We also walked through the jewish quarters and through beautiful patios and gardens and had a little free time after lunch to shop around. It was a good day overall, but if you're planning on traveling to Córdoba you really only need 1 day there to see everything. I definitely like Granada a lot better.

I have also started volunteering at an elementary school near my apartment teaching English every Tuesday and Thursday morning. My volunteer experiences thus far have made me so excited for my future career as a Spanish teacher and I love working with these children. They are so amused by the fact that I am from the United States and bombard me with questions my first days there. It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to share my English skills with other people but also improve my Spanish.

I can't wait for Clayton to get here next Saturday! I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about his week here, but until then, here are some pictures of Barcelona and Córdoba:

Patio in Córdoba

Me and Mackenzie (:

Selfie in La Mezquita Catedral

Córdoba

Gardens

La Mezquita Catedral

Such intricate detail

La Sagrada Familia en Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia

Park Güell

Where ANTM took place

Park Güell

Best chicken sandwich ever from Travel & Cake

A view of Barca!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

The one where I surprise the boy and go to Paris!

As the days go by in Granada, I have realized that it is very difficult to keep up with my blog! For some reason I never have time to post a new entry, I'll have to work on that.

Anyway, after I traveled to London, what seems like forever ago, I flew home to Chicago on tuesday (Feb 11) to surprise the boy, Clayton, for Valentines day and our one year anniversary. It took a lot of planning to pull it off without giving anything away, and I had to enlist the help of his roommate. I arrived in Chicago around noon and my mom picked me up and we were shortly on our way to Champaign! Seeing the boy for the first time was unreal, I was shaking and tears came to my eyes, I couldn't believe I actually pulled it off and we were together. Thankfully, he was very surprised and had a similar reaction. 41 days is too long to go without seeing each other but the days apart have taught me to appreciate everyday that we have together and the distance has made our relationship stronger. In 21 days from today, the boy will be coming to Granada for spring break and I couldn't be more excited to show him around!

I stayed in Champaign from tuesday night-friday morning and it was wonderful being able to see everyone again. I couldn't have been happier when my roommates answered the door and attacked me with hugs and tears of happiness; it felt like I never left. It was great to be able to have American food again, I made sure to go to all of my favorite places and have an iced coffee everyday, that was the first thing I got when I stepped foot onto American soil, classic me! On Friday, Clayton and I drove up to Chicago to spend the night at my house so he could drive me to O'Hare on Saturday. Friday was both Valentine's day and our 1 year anniversary so we went out to dinner at Weber Grill near Oak Brook. I highly recommend the restaurant, it is a tad expensive but the atmosphere was great and the food was awesome (best chicken I have ever eaten) ! It was nice just to be able to spend all day together instead of celebrating via facetime. I was very sad to leave on Saturday as it felt just as I had settled back into my old routine, I had to go back to Spain. I'm sure it was quite the spectacle as I cried in the middle of O'Hare airport saying goodbye to the boy, but I'll spare you the sob story and move on to my trip to Paris.

I returned back to Granada after a long 10 days and on thursday (Feb 20) left for Paris! Sam, Danielle, Erica, Monika and I took a 5 hour bus (probably the nicest bus I will ever be on) from Granada to Madrid to meet Hannah who is studying in Bilbao. However, traveling through the night really sucks so I don't recommend doing that. We got to Madrid airport around 1:30am and our flight left at 6:30am. Sleeping was practically impossible and finding 5 hours to kill in the airport was rough. Once we got to Paris though, the sleep deprivation was definitely worth it. On Friday, we went up to the top floor of the Eiffel Tower and the view was incredible. In my opinion, the tower at night when it is all lit up is much nicer to see than during the day! We also saw the arc de triumphe and walked around the main shopping area.

Saturday was our biggest day in Paris, and my favorite. We grabbed McDonald's for breakfast (the McGriddles in Paris are seriously the best) and started the day at the Louvre. I wish we had more time in Paris because I could have spent all day at the Louvre, there was so much to see! Of course The Mona Lisa was at the top of our list. After the Louvre, we went to Pont des Artes or the love lock bridge and we all bought a locks to add to it. One side of my lock was dedicated to the boy of course, and the other side to my parents for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Later, we walked to Notre Dame and then to do a little shopping. I have wanted a long champ bag ever since I got here and see 1 in 3 girls with them and what better place to buy one than in Paris where they originated! I can't wait to use it when it gets a little warmer out (: We ate a linner (lunch/dinner) at a really good burger place and then went out at night.

Sunday we walked through some flea markets and had one last good meal before we began our many hours of traveling back to Granada. In my opinion, the food in Paris is just okay and the only two things that really stood out were the nutella and banana crepes and the macaroons! I liked the crepes better than the Macaroons so if you're going to Paris definitely try them! Our flight from Paris landed in Madrid at around 8:00pm and our bus didn't leave until 1:30am which was rough and it was a miracle I made it to all of my classes, especially my 9:00am, after getting to my apartment in Granada at 7:00am. Even though the traveling was long and exhausting, Paris was amazing and I am so glad I was able to see it, I really wish we had more time there. I am also glad that I was able to spend this weekend in Granada relaxing because sometimes I feel like a traveling nomad constantly on buses and planes. Next weekend, I will be going to Barcelona and I can't wait to explore the city! Here are some pictures from my adventure back to the states and to Paris: